I Will Never Let You Down
by Tigerstripe
Summary: They had their lives planned out, but the blood that ran identically in their veins could not be so different. So can they really trust each other; can they even trust themselves? T for space
1. prologue

**I Will Never Let You Down**

**By Tigerstripe (rogue)**

**Disclaimer: the series Warriors belongs solely to the authors under the penname Erin Hunter. This production was purely fan-made and made for the enjoyment of the public.**

**Project: Sequel**

**Subject: moons after the undead appeared from Starclan, all is peaceful in Thunderclan. Whiteleaf's kits, Starpaw and Moonpaw, are about to become warriors, and all is swell. At least until Starpaw and Moonpaw drift apart as they begin to realize that life is much more fragile than they had bargained for. The sisters, always sticking together like burrs and a pelt, realize just how different they are.**

**Warnings: this is a sequel to I Will Never Let You Go, also by Tigerstripe. If you have not read this book previously, there may be some confusion.**

**Tragedy ahead!**

**Spoilers for The Sight!**

**Notes: In the previous fanfiction, there were several things that, now that The Sight has come out, I'd like to change so that they are closer to the original series (due to the fact that I will most likely forget something which will confuse my readers).**

**Whiteleaf: Whitewing**

**Birchheart: Birchfall (Starclan)**

**Leafpool's kits: Riverkit: stays the same- mottled brown tabby with striking blue eyes**

**Ravenkit: used to be Cinderkit, but Sorreltail's kit is Cinderkit, so now she is Ravenkit- a dark gray, almost black, she-kit with playful amber eyes.**

**Sorreltail's kits: Olivemoon was mentioned to be Sorreltail's kit in the previous chapter, and as I like the idea of Ashfur finally having a mate who doesn't desert him as soon as another tom is available, I'm going to keep her. So Sorreltail had Olivemoon, and then later on had Cinderpaw, Poppypaw, and Honeypaw.**

**Notice: Jaypaw is a normal apprentice. He is not blind, merely a normal apprentice.**

**Death: Birchheart, Thornclaw, and Cloudtail are dead, but I'm going to make Sandstorm alive again, because I do believe I'd forget to leave her out of the story.**

**Important Allegiences:**

**New Warriors: Riverstorm- mottled brown tabby tom with striking blue eyes**

**Ravenmist- dark gray, almost black, she-cat with playful amber eyes**

**Apprentice Status: Jaypaw, Hollypaw, Lionpaw, Poppypaw, Cinderpaw, Honeypaw, Hazelpaw, Mousepaw, Berrypaw.**

**Starpaw- jet black she-cat with silver strokes of fur around the eyes, which are a loquacious green.**

**Moonpaw- silvery gray she-cat with lovely green eyes and beautiful, elegantly shaped black ears.**

**Queens: Olivemoon, Ferncloud**

**By the way, if you haven't already guessed (don't complain later on, I will probably insult her frequently) I think Squirrelflight is a whore and a freak. Yup.**

**Do read on:**

_Prologue…._

_"It's a promise," she whispers, her pretty, angled amber eyes fluttering._

_"You are… beautiful," a muscled, tabby tom meowed indifferently, not meeting her piercing gaze._

_"Okay, quit it!" came a sharp voice from the bushes and a jet black beauty stalked out of the ferns, her whiskers quivering with annoyance. "Look, Riverpaw, if you don't hurry up and get this down, we won't be able to perform this next moon! Focus, mouse-brain!"_

_Riverpaw, the larger, brown tabby, stiffened. "It might be easier if I wasn't pretending to be in love with my sister!" he snapped icily, his blue eyes chillingly hostile. The black she-cat seemed not to notice. She eyed the dark gray she-cat who had proclaimed of a promise earlier with single-minded admiration._

_"Ravenpaw, you were magnificent. Enlighten your brother, he lacks your lying skills," she purred, the sound rough and hoarse from not being used often at all. She whipped back around to face Riverpaw nose to nose, which was a difficult task because he was so much bigger than her. "If you don't want to made a fool out of, then you'll practice this in your mind even when you're out hunting, because I want it perfect. I'm going to bed!" and the jet black she-cat stormed away._

_"Oh, perfect, now she's angry," the dark gray she-cat, Ravenpaw, sighed, chewing her claws unconcernedly._

_"I'm sure it won't last," piped up a cute, silver she-cat, who had yet to have spoken yet. "Tomorrow she'll be as bright as the sun. I only wish she'd give up on this whole 'romance play' for the FourSeason Gathering. Crowfeather is going to laugh himself silly when he sees us," she added dejectedly. Ravenpaw was constantly trying to impress her father, while her brother, Riverpaw, simply accepted his father._

_Without a word, Riverpaw stormed away, still furious at his friend's consistent annoying personality. When he got away from the others he sat against a tree just outside of Thunderclan camp and glared at the stars. His life was so simple, it needed flavor. There was something of interest happening in Starclan, no doubt. He had a sudden urge to run to his jet black friend and apologize for his dismal acting and bad behavior. However, just as Riverpaw stood to act on this impulse, a racking burst of pain split his head open and he shut his eyes tight and gritted his teeth._

_"Be calm, Riverpaw…." The voice seemed to come from across the lake, and yet echoed in his ear hauntingly close. At once Riverpaw became limp and a vision unfolded behind his eyes._

_A gray, speckled tom sat on an ancient looking bolder in a field surrounded by hundreds of flowers that gittered a glossy silver-black in the waves of pulsing violet moon rays. The cat's shoulders were hunched, and his head was bowed, but as Riverpaw took in his surroundings, the cat looked up and stared at Riverpaw with green eyes._

_Riverpaw had a sudden, queasy feeling that he knew who this cat was._

_"Hello, Riverpaw. I am Birchfall, and I have a message for you…."_


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N um, hello?**** I posted this (finally) and NOBODY REVIEWED! ****Except myself of course.**** Well, fine, be that way, maybe I just won't update my warriors stories for a while **** oh, yeah, I forgot to add this in the previous chapter. ****Silverstorm's**** still in it, too.**

**-1**

"Nice catch," came a ringing mew, and Starpaw looked up at her sister, Moonpaw.

"What'd you expect? A new apprentice miss?" the black she-cat snorted, tossing her head indignantly. Seeing her sister's disappointed face, she softened her brittle form and put her tail around Moonpaw's shoulders. "Thanks, Moonpaw, though, but I'm not as great a hunter as you are."

"I know, and I'm not as great a fighter," Moonpaw sighed, the sisters simultaneously falling into step on their way back to where their mentors were meeting them. "Quote Mother one more time and your fur will turn snowy white!"

Starpaw cuffed her sister lightly around the ears and growled. She lowered her voice, "hey, look, it's Riverstorm." Her voice was scoffing, she had not yet forgiven her close/hateful friend for rubbing it in their faces about becoming a warrior. His sister, Ravenmist, was much more graceful about it.

"We're not going in that direction anyways," Moonpaw suggested helpfully, turning her wide green eyes to look skeptically at Riverstorm, who was about to pounce on a thrush. Starpaw coughed loudly, causing the bird to screech in alarm and launch away. Riverstorm shot her a murderous glare and she smirked evilly.

"Oops, sorry!" Starpaw called to him sarcastically, leading Moonpaw away. "Oh, quit it, he's fine!" she snapped, catching her sister throwing an apologetic glance back towards Riverstorm.

"So have you decided to give up on that play?" Moonpaw asked, looking embarrassed and indignant.

"Yeah, we can't have Riverstorm messing it up," Starpaw complained, picking her mentor, Silverstorm, out from the gorse and racing over to her.

"Nice catch!" Silverstorm complemented her. Starpaw could feel Moonpaw seethe behind her as she dipped her head respectfully. "Thank you, mentor." Silverstorm eyed her appreciatively and turned around in confusion. "Uh, Graystripe was just here…."

"It's okay, Silverstorm. He probably just went hunting or something," came Moonpaw's predictably patient reply.

"Or maybe up a tree," Silverstorm joked. At that moment, a mound of fur leapt gracefully from a tree a little ways away and drifted towards them.

"What?" Graystripe asked in confusion at Silverstorm and Moonpaw's laughter, and at Starpaw's malicious smirk.

X—X---X---X---X

Moonpaw sighed as her sister stalked away, indignant at Riverstorm's presence, as always.

"She's just jealous, you know," she murmured to a bristling Riverstorm apologetically. "Don't take it personally."

"She seems to think that I'm rubbing it in her nose or something!" he ranted, storming in the opposite direction. Moonpaw followed, picking an angry Riverstorm or an angry Starpaw wasn't a difficult choice. Riverstorm could never stay angry for as long as Starpaw. "She's so arrogant about her stupid name. 'My name's Starpaw, what would happen if I became leader'… nobody as repugnant as her would be accepted as leader."

"Starclan granted the name for her and me," Moonpaw muttered, a hint of reproach entering her voice. "She must be destined to be great. I don't know why she's so moody all the time, maybe she's just bored…." But Moonpaw knew exactly why her sister was angry all the time. Of course she wouldn't reveal this highly personal information to Riverstorm unless Starpaw told him herself.

Riverstorm snorted before straightening his slumped shoulders. "Hey, you want to go hunting with me and Ravenmist? She's meeting me by the Windclan border, if you see Starpaw and she's over herself, she can come too."

"I believe I'm over myself now," came a sharp voice from behind them, and Moonpaw sighed. Her sister always was in everybody else's business. Starpaw's voice was unnaturally friendly and bright. "I came to apologize, but I think I'll decide to stop being arrogant and repugnant and get over myself instead." Riverstorm looked uncomfortable as Starpaw stalked off towards the Windclan border, hissing ferociously at a kit who nipped playfully at her paws.

"I can't stand it when she does that…" Riverstorm growled, shooting the black cat a glowering stare.

Moonpaw wanted to tell Starpaw to get back to camp, she had been looking forward to walking with Riverstorm all the way to the Windclan border. She shot him a shy glance and pressed on, brimming with sweetness on the outside and fuming on the inside.

"Hey sister," Starpaw called thoughtlessly, shouldering Riverstorm out of the way and walking alongside her sister. "I-"

"Starpaw," Moonpaw began. "Don't you think it may be better for everyone if you and Riverstorm don't hang out today any more?" she asked tentatively.

"Hah. I wouldn't let that moron alone with you!" Starpaw laughed in a stage whisper, causing Riverstorm to attempt to trip her. "Jerk!" Starpaw retorted, rearing on her hind paws and throwing him across the clearing easily. He hit a tree and Starpaw returned her attention to her sister. "Go on."

"Um, well… I don't… mind… going with him alone…" Moonpaw muttered very very quietly.

"But I don't-" Starpaw's green eyes suddenly widened as realization dawned on her. "Ohh, okay, I get you now!" she meowed slyly, winking obviously. "You know what?" she called to Riverstorm, who had just caught up to them. "I'm tired of hanging out with a jerk like you. I'll hunt on my own and catch twice as much as you!" she flounced away, and Moonpaw purred on the inside. Starpaw may have been brittle and irritable on the outside, but on the inside she was very sympathetic.

"That was odd, even for her." Riverstorm grunted, falling into step beside a pleased Moonpaw.

"Yeah… weird…"

XX---X---X----X

"Moonpaw, come quickly!" Jaypaw raced out of the forest, nearly cannoning into Moonpaw, who nearly shrieked in surprise.

"For Starclan's _sake_, Jaypaw! What?"

Riverstorm and Ravenmist pelted out of the dense undergrowth.

"Hey, lil' bro!" Ravenmist purred, nudging her little friend affectionately. Jaypaw shook his head impatiently. "I need help getting Starpaw back to camp. She and I ran into each other while I was fetching Hollypaw from down by the lake and she just-just collapsed!" his blue eyes were wide with shock. "I knew you three were the closest to me, so I came to get you- she's too heavy for me to carry back to camp by myself."

Jaypaw was only seven moons old, not nearly capable enough to lift the oldest apprentice in the clan. Riverstorm and Ravenmist were already hurtling away and Moonpaw cursed her slow reflexes. She and Jaypaw tore after them, Moonpaw not bothering to slow her pace for the young apprentice. They soon came across Starpaw, who was laying on her side, her sides heaving.

"Let's get her back to camp!" Riverstorm meowed, his voice gruff from worry. He grabbed Starpaw by the scruff of her neck and began to drag her back to camp. Jaypaw, Moonpaw, and Ravenmist crowded around Starpaw's body and lifted the other half of her off the ground so that she was not injured by any thorns or pine needles ladening the ground.

With the four of them, it was easy to get Starpaw, who appeared to get more and more fragile and small as her panting increased in ratio, back to camp.

"Leafpool!" they chorused, and Leafpool padded out, hastening her pace when she saw Starpaw.

"Bring her back to my den, and explain everything. This may be urgent," Leafpool mewed hurriedly.

**A/N- poor ****ol****' Starry.**** Oh well.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N this ****chappy**** scares me. After reading my last chapter for, like, the first time yesterday, I smacked myself. I was like 'oh crap. ****Where the hell am I going with this'.**** Not to fear, however, I've wove around complications! (If I get any facts wrong- I'm terribly sorry, but please hold your tongue).**

**-2**

Four cats waited in baited silence as the moments pressed on, pushing the sun down the sky. The moon was much too patient, why couldn't she shove the sun out of her way, already?

Moonpaw's gasps of breath created a white plume of mist that hovered loyally in front of her. She leaned against her mother, Whitewing, and for once didn't have an trill of pleasure when Riverstorm would shift beside her and rub his pelt against hers.

All of them were waiting for one cat. _Starpaw__…_ Moonpaw looked up hopefully, but it was only the trees murmuring her sister's name, possibly awed or scared or angry. It was impossible to tell in the golden-lit leaves.

At last a twitching at the medicine cat's sheltered den had the group of cats leap to their paws and pelt the tabby emerging with frantic questions. Only Riverstorm held his tongue, but Moonpaw could see he was just as worried for her sister as the rest of them. Ravenmist tried to shove past her mother, Leafpool, to get to Starpaw, but Riverstorm grabbed his sister and restrained her.

"Starpaw has a very, very rare disease," Leafpool began a few tense moments later, her face downcast. "We call it Dark Fever. I have only ever heard about it in my training, however, I know what it is."

Moonpaw shivered. Just the name alone sent horrified chills down her spine.

"It is incurable," Leafpool started off, and looked up in surprise as Riverstorm let out half of an outburst before regaining his composure and peering fixedly at his paws. "It's incurable, and deadly. It takes effect over the lifetime of a cat's life and eventually they die."

Ravenmist let out a groan and kneaded her paws on the sandy ground and Riverstorm stood up abruptly, looking panicked. Moonpaw and Whitewing only stared at Leafpool blankly.

"The good news is," Leafpool continued. "Starpaw has healed very well, and there is a possibility that this will only critically take effect on her when she is a late senior warrior or elder. She will need to be escorted everywhere for safety precautions, but otherwise can continue with her warrior training, just so long as if she becomes short of breath her fighting opponent takes it easy on her."

_Escorted everywhere?_ Moonpaw groaned inwardly. Starpaw would hate that, especially if she had to go anywhere with Squirrelflight or Spiderleg. Starpaw couldn't stand either of them. _Why am I thinking of that? My sister is going to die!_

"Can we see her?" Whitewing burst out and Leafpool dipped her head reluctantly. The four cats crammed into the tiny den where Starpaw looked up, surprised.

"What are you all doing here? I can hardly breathe. Leave me alone, will you?" were the first words out of her mouth.

Moonpaw found herself purring with amusement at her sister's bewildered expression.

"you idiot, we were kind of wondering what was the matter with you!" Riverstorm snapped, annoyed.

"Yeah, well you got your answer didn't you?" Starpaw shot back, glaring at him maliciously. "So go away!" Riverstorm ignored her. Starpaw flattened her ears uncomfortably as Whitewing covered them with licks.

"Honestly, I'll be fine. I'm sure I'll live a nice long life. I feel great- better than great. So there's no need to worry about me!" Starpaw touched her nose to Ravenmist's.

"Well, if your sure, I think you need rest," Whitewing admitted fretfully, allowing Starpaw to lick her swiftly on the cheek before departing in a pain-filled hurry.

"You'll be okay, Starpaw!" Ravenmist choked out, as if trying to convince herself more than the apprentice, who looked a little daunted by her friend's emotional display. Her fur was a little ruffled when Ravenmist left.

Riverstorm said nothing, but bent down and gave Starpaw a gentle lick on the ear. Starpaw blinked him away then stared over at Moonpaw, who didn't budge.

"I'm staying," Moonpaw whispered fiercely, wrapping her tail around her sister protectively. Starpaw merely nodded, her confident expression quickly melting as her guests left.

Her dull green eyes scanned the ground before her blankly- hollowed, dead. The pain in them stabbed Moonpaw in the heart so hard she gasped aloud.

"I guess I didn't expect this," Starpaw finally spoke, looking up at her sister, her whiskers trembling with fear. "What happens when you die anyways?" Starpaw's question was barely a whisper and Moonpaw couldn't answer, she merely shook her head.

"But L-Leafpool told us that it- it doesn't always-"

"Oh, wake up, Moonpaw!" Starpaw burst out, twisting to look her sister in the eye, the emotionless tone in her voice lifting to desperation. "I was only saying that Leafpool was probably right because I wanted them not to worry! Please be realistic! She doesn't mean it!"

"I'm trying to have hope!" Moonpaw murmured finally, after an intense pause. Another pregnant silence passed through the sisters. Finally Starpaw spoke.

"I had a weird dream last night," she admitted. "I was walking through a field of the most beautiful flowers. They were silver in the moonlight, but shimmered violet and blue and…." Starpaw trailed off, closing her eyes as if to preserve the beautiful memory in her mind. "When the dawn sun came up, the flowers crumpled into ash and it was if they had never been there. What do you think?"

Moonpaw shook her head. She knew that her sister didn't believe in Starclan, but she had to guess that this was Starclan's work. "I have no idea," she confessed softly. She looked up, startled to see Starpaw staring at her with an intense blazing stare.

"Moonpaw," she hissed suddenly. "_beware__ of the moonlit flowers_!"

"What?" Moonpaw gasped, forgetting momentarily how to breathe as her sister relaxed her pose.

"What what?" Starpaw asked her, looking puzzled. Moonpaw shook her head, wondering about what had just occurred. When Starpaw had said that, it hadn't been like her, not like her at all. "Listen," Starpaw meowed, looking uncertain. "Can we go to sleep now?"

They curled up side by side and pretended to be asleep when Leafpool returned to the den. Moonpaw could tell from Starpaw's gentle snores that her sister was fast asleep, and yet the silver apprentice was wide awake. Starpaw's haunting words still echoed in her mind.

Could Moonpaw's sister have just spoken words of a prophecy?

**----**

**Thanks Emmi-chan for editing and forcing me to write this chapter by asking me at least twenty questions. Good job, goal of inspiration acquired! And thanks for editing, you fixed a bunch of screwed up crap spots. **

**Most of the characters and the original Warriors plotline belongs to ERIN HUNTER!**

**And if you're confused because you are a clueless person, Starpaw has kitty cancer. **


	4. Chapter 3

Three dawns later, Starpaw was free. She emerged from the pitifully claustrophobic medicine cat's den with her green eyes misty with sleepiness from three days of relaxation.

"Starpaw!" Starpaw turned, and her heart sank. For the first time in her life, she was reluctant to greet Moonpaw as the silver apprentice dashed over and butted Starpaw gently in the face in greeting. Starpaw's sister was taking it upon herself to be Starpaw's guardian, and it was getting on her nerves.

"Hey, Moonpaw," Starpaw greeted her anyways, attempting to create her usual lively glow into her deadened eyes.

"Listen, I can't talk for long, I'm supposed to go with Graystripe and he's going to assess me, but I wanted to tell you that Firestar said that we can go the gathering tonight!" Moonpaw mewed excitedly.

"Oh, great, dozens of warriors pressing in and sticking their noses into every corner of you're clan's daily lives!" Starpaw muttered, and Moonpaw frowned. "Oh, well. Do well on your assessment."

Moonpaw's eyes were troubled. "Er," she began hesitantly, looking scared to breach this subject. "Don't forget to take a warrior with you when you go out next…."

Her fear was reasonable, Starpaw concluded, her claws instinctively unsheathing in annoyance. "I know!" she snapped. Her expression softened slightly and she grumbled, "Leafpool's reminded me every time I get a chance to breathe today!"

"Moonpaw!" Graystripe yowled from across the clearing. "Let's get a move on!"

"Well, bye!" Moonpaw whispered, scampering off.

"Do well!" Starpaw called after her. She turned away and rolled her eyes.

"Did I just see you being slightly friendly?" a voice asked from behind the black apprentice and she whipped her head around to see Riverstorm. For some reason the brown tabby gasped and blinked, dumbfounded, for a heartbeat before shaking his head in confusion.

"Shut up!" Starpaw snapped, ignoring his strange lapse of attention.

"Whatever; Moonpaw can always get you're soft side to show," the tabby purred in amusement.

"Yeah, something you could never master!" Starpaw hissed softly. An idea hit her. "Hey, will you take me hunting? Only I'm not allowed out without a warrior…." She wouldn't have asked him, whenever the two of them hunted together they usually came back in a full blown argument, but Riverstorm was the only one in camp who wasn't constantly grieving over her disease. In fact, she hadn't seen him since the day she had been diagnosed.

"Ugh, can't Silverstorm take you?" Riverstorm asked, exasperated.

"What?" Starpaw snarled, dumbfounded. "What's wrong with taking me? You've got nothing better to do, you stupid sack of fur, and if I don't get you onto you're paws every once in a while, you'll be fatter than a kittypet- always laying around sunbathing!"

"That's better!" Riverstorm purred, amused. Starpaw blinked- she had found him in an unusually good mood. "A few heartbeats ago, you weren't putting any effort into your voice. You sounded half dead!"

Starpaw looked away guiltily. She had, in fact, been feeling dead and depressed a few moments ago. Her rant, however, had made her feel more defiant. "Yeah, well, will you take me out, or what?" lowering her voice, she added. "Listen, Silverstorm is going to Leafpool today- she thinks that she might be having kits. I really don't want to disturb her!"

"Really?" Riverstorm asked, looking thrown. He looked towards the medicine cat's den, where Silverstorm was indeed hovering. "I see…." He murmured. "Well, okay then, are you ready to go?"

"Are you?" Starpaw shot back and darted forward. She heard him giving chase behind her and put on a burst of speed. The tabby quickly caught up with her, however, and, thinking fast, she halted abruptly, and when he crashed into her, she flipped over, throwing him forward. Starpaw looked up to see Riverstorm picking himself up off the ground. He looked back at her critically and showed her a paw with a thorn in it.

"Oh, you're poor paw!" Starpaw mocked. She ambled over to him anyways and bent her head, gripping the thorn with her teeth and yanking it out. Riverstorm stiffened but otherwise didn't let out any sign of pain. "Put some marigold on it and you'll be fine!"

"Marigold?"

"Stops infection," she explained briskly. She had picked it up from when she had gotten a thorn stuck in her paw and Leafpool had rubbed it in. "chew it into a poultice and rub it in." Starpaw narrowed her eyes critically. If she could remember things like that, anybody could. What was the point in having a medicine cat if anybody could learn the skill?

"Hey, thanks," Riverstorm muttered ungratefully, snatching up some marigold that was growing nearby and chewing it up thoroughly before spitting it onto his paw and gingerly mixing it in.

"Yeah, whatever," Starpaw dismissed. She turned back to him and asked casually, "Are you going to the gathering tonight?"

"Yeah, it'll be my first gathering as a warrior," Riverstorm boasted, and Starpaw's ear twitched with jealousy.

"Oh, right," she mewed, trying to sound confident, but her eyes flickered away. She was only a few days younger than Riverstorm, but he had been a warrior for almost a moon already. Riverstorm must have sensed her frustration, for he rested his tail on her flank.

A sharp and thunderous _crack_ split the air and their moment of peace was broken. Starpaw leapt back, bristling as another deafening _crack_ resounded through the quiet forest.

"What was that?" Riverstorm asked, when all was quiet again. Starpaw quivered with barely suppressed shock and fear.

"Let's find out!" she mewed grimly and ran towards the sound.

"Starpaw, wait!" Riverstorm commanded, but Starpaw raced forward. She remembered that her sister was out here somewhere, and who knew where she was hunting. Just as those thoughts ran through her head, something silver crashed into her.

"Starpaw!" Moonpaw hissed, her voice tight with fear.

"Moonpaw, are you alright? What was that! I don't like it, especially if it was on _my_ territory!" Starpaw growled, flexing her claws menacingly. A moment later, Graystripe appeared, his amber eyes round with fright.

"Get back to camp!" he hissed, not pausing to wait for his apprentice and her sister. The two of them had already turned and were sprinting away anyways. Another sharp noise sounded, and something thudded to the ground just by Moonpaw, who shrieked in terror.

"Run, run!" she panted. A few heartbeats later, Starpaw became aware of Riverstorm catching up to them, his blue eyes narrowed in confusion.

The four cats didn't stop their desperate race until they had reached the camp, where they collapsed, panting and wheezing. Starpaw had begun to cough, a terrible block seemed to gather inside her lungs.

"Starpaw!" Moonpaw was by her in a flash, licking her chest rhythmically until Starpaw stopped her ragged pants. "You shouldn't be running that fast!"

"Oh, yes, I want to be stuck alone with… with… what was that again?" Starpaw snapped, and Moonpaw flattened her ears warily and took a step away from her hostile sister.

"Twolegs," Graystripe explained. "I must go and talk to Firestar about this!" Moonpaw turned to Starpaw and Riverstorm, her green eyes wide with distress.

"I was hunting, and near the Shadowclan border, some twolegs were walking around and pinning stripped logs to the ground and on top of each other. When they spotted me, they took out something long and pointed it at me. I got scared and ran, and just after I started running, they made that noise and something hit the ground right where I had just been and the ground smoked where it landed!" she mewed in a rush, her fur bristling with horror at the memory. "I think that if that thing had hit me, I'd be dead right now!" she confessed in a whisper.

"Oh, Moonpaw," Starpaw murmured, bending forward to lick the distressed apprentice. Riverstorm pressed his side against her flank and purred reassuringly. An odd feeling that Starpaw couldn't identify pricked at her paws. Then she remembered what Moonpaw had confessed to her a few nights ago, about her feelings for Riverstorm.

"Well, Riverstorm, I'm tired and sickly, go take Moonpaw somewhere to cheer her up!" the black apprentice snapped, faking a yawn. "That run back made me sleepy, and there is a gathering I must attend tonight. So go have fun and forget about the twolegs, though you'd best stick around the Windclan border for now."

Moonpaw's eye shone as she nodded, appearing very cool and sophisticated.

"Yeah, you look dead on you're paws," the silver she-cat mewed, brushing her cheek against Starpaw's and whispering into her ear a hurried "thanks" before she was led away by a suspicious Riverstorm.

"Where are they going?" Starpaw turned. Ravenmist and Jaypaw had appeared.

"oh, Moonpaw has some silly idea that love exists, so I've decided to play along with her little hallucination by letting her hang out with Riverstorm," Starpaw meowed indifferently, shrugging. Ravenmist narrowed her lovely amber eyes critically.

"Starpaw, just because you haven't fallen in love doesn't mean it doesn't exist," she began hesitantly.

Jaypaw rolled his eyes. "If this is going to turn into a mushy romance chat, I'm going hunting."

"I won't let it, Jaypaw," Starpaw reassured him. "Listen to what Moonpaw saw…."

Hurriedly, Starpaw explained about the sharp cracks and the story behind it. As soon as Starpaw finished, her two friends turned and went to spread the word through camp. What good, loyal rumor spreaders, Starpaw thought contentedly, flexing her claws.

.::. 

"Calm down, Moonpaw!" Starpaw insisted. As soon as they had reached the island where the gatherings were held, Moonpaw had started chatting away about her hunt with Riverstorm and how _fantastic_ it was.

"Oh, right, sorry. It's just that _he stared into my eyes_! Do you think it means he may think of me as more than just a friend?" Moonpaw gushed, unable to help herself.

Struggling to keep herself from rolling her eyes, Starpaw seethed, "Look, Moonpaw, no offense, but I don't really care what happens between you and Riverstorm."

Moonpaw halted, her eyes round and hurt. "You don't care?" she asked listlessly.

"No. Love isn't real." Starpaw meowed shortly, before padding away from her sister in pursuit of some other clan cat to talk to. She spotted Breezepaw a short distance away and veered clear of the irritating apprentice.

Before long, however, Moonpaw had caught up with her. "Love is real," she insisted, her pretty eyes round with solemnest.

"Look, Moonpaw," Starpaw hissed between her teeth. "I don't doubt that you believe in the illusion of love, but it's lust, not love. Love isn't real, it never has been. Cats can trick you, yes, but it's not the actual emotion. It's impossible to be devoted on your life to a single other cat."

"B-but you're devoted to me- that's love right there!" Moonpaw gasped, struggling at this new, sudden concept that apparently frightened her.

"No, Moonpaw. In fact, right now, you're bugging me to death. Scurry along and go bother Breezepaw, will you?" without pausing to take in the shocked and pained look on Moonpaw's stunned face, Starpaw turned and bounded towards the closest cat she saw. It was a Shadowclan apprentice.

"Hi!" he meowed brightly as she padded up to him. His long gray fur was still soft, but his blue eyes were sharply intelligent. Starpaw guessed he must be about to receive his warrior name, just like her. "I'm Rainpaw."

"Starpaw," the black apprentice acknowledged with a formal dip of her head.

"Hey, aren't you the one who came up with that play for the fourseason gathering?" the Shadowclan apprentice asked lightly, his eyes shining in humor. Starpaw seethed, she was sure that the only thing he would remember was the humiliating way Moonpaw had screwed up the whole play by tripping and forgetting her lines innumerable times.

"That... would be me," she admitted after a moment, her figure stiff and irritated by the embarrassing memory.

"Who was the silver cat who played the clan leader?" Rainpaw asked, and Starpaw's head sunk lower below her shoulders in agitation as she heard a definite note of humor in his voice. "No need to be embarrassed or anything!" he smirked. "I thought it was cool!"

"Yeah, sure you did." Starpaw growled. "The silver cat, that's my sister, Moonpaw. She's sweet but her paws are sometimes bigger than the lake."

Rainpaw didn't say anything, and Starpaw thought he disapproved of her down talking her sister. She sniffed and didn't apologize. "When is the gathering going to start?" she snapped instead, growing impatient.

"I suppose when the last clan arrives," Rainpaw commented shrewdly, and Starpaw glanced at him. He seemed mature enough, and somewhere in his blue eyes was the hinting of the dangerous and cunning clan he belonged to, but the soft slump of his shoulders and long shaggy fur was disconcertingly kind and playful. Starpaw decided immediately that she despised the tom.

A yowl made her look away from the friendly apprentice, to see that Leopardstar and the rest of Riverclan had finally arrived, but the clan looked uneasy and frightened. Starpaw sat up from her hunched position and leaned forward eagerly, as the Riverclan leader leaped onto the tree and immediately called the Gathering to a start.

"Cat's of all clans!" Leopardstar started without giving any of the other leaders a chance to say 'hello'. "I have grave news for all of you!" Starpaw leaned forward, her ears pricked intently. She was aware of Rainpaw listening carefully beside her. However, all thoughts of the irksome tom were wiped away at the horrific and bewildering thing Leopardstar yowled next.

"The hunters have come!"


	5. Chapter 4

Shocked mews met the Riverclan's leader's words, and she met every challenging stare with her own blazing amber one. "Please explain, Leopardstar," Firestar prompted her, looking worried. Starpaw knew she wasn't the only who was aware that Leopardstar never made a fuss out of nothing.

"I'm a little surprised at you, Firestar," the mottled tabby meowed, turning to the ginger tom. "After all, they've moved into your territory. Right on the border of Thunderclan and Shadowclan, in fact. I've merely come to warn you of what they're capable of."

"Who?" Blackstar snarled impatiently.

"Twolegs, what else?" Leopardstar snapped at him, her eyes flashing. Onestar's eyes flickered at each of the leaders as they spoke. He looked almost smug at the tense atmosphere.

"The stick," Starpaw muttered, remembering what the Twoleg had shot at Moonpaw that morning. Rainpaw looked around, and she nearly snorted in contempt. It had been all too easy to forget he was there.

"What?" he asked, his eyes wide and calm despite the intensity in the air.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," she pointed out rudely, rolling her green eyes irritably.

"They were in our territory yesterday. Two of them, a she-twoleg and a male, and the female seemed to have joy for climbing trees, which frightened a great deal of our prey. The male carried a long pole or stick of some sort, which he pointed at one of our warriors." Leopardstar announced, her head bowing in sudden grief. "It is… my greatest regret to inform you that Willowpaw, Mothwing's apprentice, was hit by something that shot out of the metal stick the twoleg carried. She was killed instantly." Shocked and grief-stricken murmurs rippled through the clan. A few cats let out eerie wails and Starpaw bristled.

"So a cat died!" she hissed. "Cats die every year, this one's no different. Everybody is over reacting!" Rainpaw spun around to face her, his blue eyes wide.

"Mousebrain!" he growled. "What if the twolegs decide to kill you next? That was a medicine cat apprentice they killed!"

Starpaw crouched low to the ground. "Then that's their decision," she snarled. She was about to spit something out about how little medicine cat apprentices differed from regular apprentices, when somebody prodded her in the side, and she turned to see her mentor glaring at her.

"Honestly, Starpaw, please cool your jets for a moment. There's a truce, remember?" the silver Bengal cat warned angrily, and Starpaw flattened her ears in shame.

"I am sorry, Silverstorm," Starpaw mewed softly, dipping her head in greatest respect.

"What's worse," Leopardstar had started to speak again. "Is that we could not bury the brave medicine cat, for her body was taken by twolegs and we were unable to send her body to Starclan!" This time the wails of grief turned into horror.

Silverstorm and Rainpaw gasped on either side of Starpaw, who twitched her tail irritably from side to side but said nothing. She's dead anyways, whether she was grieved in her clan clearing or taken away by her murderers. _We take away our fresh-kill mice, do we ever consider that mice may want to mourn over their dead siblings or parents?_ _Why is everyone making such a fuss, don't they know that Starclan is just a tale for kits?_

Leopardstar bowed her head and stepped back. Firestar crept to the front of the tree and announced his clan news, but nobody was listening. Everybody seemed to be hollow with grief for the dead apprentice and the looming fear of the twolegs carrying the metal sticks.

When the gathering was over, some cats still looked numb and wary, but the majority of them had calmed down considerably. Starpaw, in all her scorn, still shot Mothwing, the Riverclan medicine cat, a pitying look. It must have been tough for the stunningly beautiful golden tabby to lose her best friend and trusted apprentice.

"Starpaw!" The black she-cat turned to see Moonpaw bounding towards her. She had obviously forgotten or forgiven the words that Starpaw had fired at her in irritation of the moment. Starpaw touched noses with her gingerly, and Moonpaw slid her gaze onto Rainpaw.

"Hello!" she mewed kindly. "I'm Moonpaw," obviously wary of the hostile scent of Shadowclan on the shaggy apprentice's fur, she dipped her head in respectful greeting.

"Hi," Rainpaw purred, his eyes shining with laughter. "I know, I'm very frightening. I even scared off a mouse once."

"How incredible," Starpaw muttered sarcastically, her teeth grinding impatiently. Moonpaw let out a _mrrow_ of amusement, before Starpaw nudged her sister and pointed with her muzzle to where Firestar was rounding up his clan. The silver she-cat waved her tail in a friendly farewell at Rainpaw, who watched her with shining blue eyes as the two sisters bounded away towards their clan.

XxXx

"Riverstorm!" Starpaw snapped at the warrior, causing him to glare at her malevolently."Moonpaw and I are getting our warrior names today, so you can stop pretending to show off. Being smug doesn't decrease the size of your head, however much it needs it," she sneered.

"Really? Well you know I got my big head by becoming a warrior," Riverstorm retorted. "I feel bad for you. It's a surprise that yours can get any bigger!"

Starpaw stared at him for a moment. "Oh, I'm so offended," she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes and turning away. "Anyways, Graystripe and Silverstorm are dancing around and singing about how beautiful their kits are going to be, so they told Moonpaw and I we could do whatever we wanted. I'm going out with Ravenmist and Jaypaw, so take Moonpaw hunting with you."

"Is that an order?" Riverstorm growled, flicking his tail back and forth.

"That's right," Starpaw turned and met his blazing blue gaze with her calm and confident pale green ones. "What are you going to do, tell her you won't take her? I've already told her you would," and with that, she stalked off to where Ravenmist and Jaypaw were waiting.

"I knew it," Jaypaw snorted, staring at Riverstorm over Starpaw's shoulder. "He's puffing up like a porcupine." The gray tabby's eyes shone, and Starpaw knew he was amused.

Ravenmist looked slightly uncomfortable, but she merely shot an apologetic glance at her brother before taking off after Jaypaw and Starpaw.

"So, Jaypaw," the dark gray she-cat began slyly, catching up to the other two. "How's it feel to be the only apprentice left in our little posse thing?"

"Posse?" Jaypaw asked disbelievingly.

"That's right. Riverstorm, Moonpaw, Starpaw, you, and me," Ravenmist explained. Starpaw rolled her eyes. That was hilarious, especially since Starpaw and Riverstorm detested each other.

"Oh. Well, sorry to rain on your parade," Jaypaw sniffed indignantly, stalking forward. "But I have many other friends than just you. Hollypaw and Lionpaw for one. All of the other apprentices and my mentor for another. Wow, dang, there you have it!"

Ravenmist growled playfully and shoved Jaypaw into a bramble thicket. Emerging covered in thorns, Jaypaw leaped at Starpaw, who hissed angrily as he pinned her down. "Just because you're leaving me behind," he hissed in her ear. "Doesn't mean I can't shred you!"

"Oh, I believe it does!" Starpaw yowled back, unable to resist the challenge. She sprang to her paws with Jaypaw still on her back and whirled around, loosening the smaller cat's strong grip on her shoulders. She rammed her back into a tree and Jaypaw slithered off of her.

Starpaw placed a black paw on his neck and raised her silver-outlined eyes to yowl a victory when Ravenmist barreled into her. "What? Taking sides?" she spat in mock shock, her black tail twitching in humor.

"Of course not! I'm just insuring that none of you forget that I will always be better than both of you!" Ravenmist boasted, her amber eyes glowing. Starpaw purred with amusement as she whacked Ravenmist over the head, sending the dark-furred warrior tumbling over her own paws.

"Well, look at you, as clumsy as a badger!" Jaypaw teased, puffing out his chest importantly. Ravenmist whirled around and glared at the other two with daggers for eyes.

Even though she was only playing, the fierce and cross look made Starpaw's fur prickle uneasily as she remembered another cat who's dark fur had bristled in just the same way. She pictured the warrior in her head clearly, watching their play-fight with a contemptuous gleam in his eyes and shuddered.

She stood up and shook her ruffled pelt, frowning once more. "Come on," she growled briskly to the others. "We should stop this playing; it won't help the clan get their food tonight!"

Ravenmist's amber eyes were puzzled. "Oh, come on, Starpaw," she begged. "Lighten up!"

"Yeah, you're not our mentor!" Jaypaw growled.

Starpaw's eyes flashed dangerously. "It's a good thing I'm not, or I'd have a lot to say about that tongue of yours!" she snarled. Rounding on Ravenmist, she added, "you're a warrior, you shouldn't be playing when there is work to be done! You earn your warrior name by learning to be responsible!"

Starpaw stalked off irritably, and when she pictured Nightshade again, his eyes were approving. _Good_, she murmured to herself, closing her eyes briefly and letting her fur lie flat. _I am doing what's right for once._

XxXx

"I'm very proud of you," Silverstorm murmured, pushing her muzzle into Starpaw's shoulder. The black apprentice was nearly quivering with excitement, but she kept her voice level as she thanked Silverstorm breathlessly.

"Starpaw, over here!" Starpaw turned and padded to Moonpaw's side. Her sister's green eyes had a night full of stars glimmering in them.

It was sundown, and therefore time for Starpaw and Moonpaw to receive their warrior names at last. The sister's mentors, Graystripe and Silverstorm, were sitting not far away, their tails intertwined.

A familiar scent caused Starpaw and Moonpaw to turn and touch noses proudly with their mother, Whitewing, who was purring so loudly Starpaw began to feel embarrassed.

"Whitewing," she muttered. "We're not kits anymore!"

"I know," Whitewing murmured, running her tail across the silver streaks that ran alongside Starpaw's eyes. "Your father would have been so proud."

Starpaw personally thought that she didn't care to have a father who was stupid enough to chase a salamander onto thin ice, but she said nothing, sparing her mother fresh grief. Instead she narrowed her eyes slightly and shooed her mother away impatiently.

Firestar leaped onto Highledge and the sisters whipped around, staring at Firestar with identical excited green eyes. "We are gathered here today," Firestar started, not bothering to call his clan to the clearing, for everybody was present. "To welcome two apprentices as warriors into the clan. Starpaw, Moonpaw, please come forward."

Bristling with excitement, Moonpaw scampered forward eagerly, her tail quivering. Trying to appear much more reserved, Starpaw lifted her head proudly and padded forward in a smooth unwavering grace. Some cat snorted and Starpaw had to fight herself from whipping around and clawing the cat in the face. She knew it was Riverstorm, of course.

However, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath before looking up at Firestar.

"I, Firestar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Moonpaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend it, even at the cost of your life?"

Starpaw felt Moonpaw trembling beside her, but her voice was steady as she called, "I do."

"Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Moonpaw, from this day forth you shall be known as Moonpetal. Thunderclan welcomes you as a full warrior." Firestar rumbled, coming forward to touch his muzzle to the top of Moonpetal's head as she licked his shoulder respectfully.

"Moonpetal! Moonpetal!" the clan chanted. Moonpetal beamed at Starpaw as she rushed over to Graystripe, who gave her a proud lick across the ear.

"Starpaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Firestar asked the black apprentice.

"I do," she meowed calmly and clearly, no uncertainty in her voice.

"Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Starpaw, from this day forth you shall be known as Starfeather, and Thunderclan welcomes you as a full warrior."

The ginger leader bent his head to lick Starfeather on the top of hers as she stooped to lick his shoulder respectfully.

"Starfeather! Starfeather!" Starfeather turned and beamed at her clan, her heart swelling with happiness. This was her destiny, to serve her clan until her last breath left her. On her way to the edge of the camp, Starfeather passed Riverstorm, who was padding over to congratulate Moonpetal. Starfeather tripped him on his way over and immediately felt much better about his rude outburst during her ceremony.

Taking her position at the edge of the stone hollow, Starfeather closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before opening her eyes and rushing into her new life.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N hey, guys, sorry for my bout of angst. Ah, I'm a girl, what do you expect? Not to be rude, but girls are babies who take everything too personally and guys are thick heads who can't accept that some times they are just plain wrong.  
**

Moonpetal couldn't sleep. She had been released from her vigil at dawn, and after stuffing her face with food, she and Starfeather had retreated straight to the Warriors' den. Starfeather was curled up beside her, snoring gently, but Moonpetal was too excited to sleep. A warrior! Her! It seemed too incredible to be true.

She sighed impatiently and shut her eyes again, shifting slightly in her bedding. After a few moments of silence, she twisted again, and accidentally kicked Starfeather in the side, who leapt to her paws in an instant, spitting.

"Watch it!" she hissed crossly, her black fur fluffed out in alarm as she realized it was only Moonpetal who had woken her. The confused she-cat curled up again, turning her back on her sister reproachfully.

Moonpetal sniffed edgily and jammed her eyes shut again. This time she focused on the breeze fluttering through the branches that sheltered her new den. It danced around joyously, carefree and innocent. The wind caressed Moonpetal in a soothing manner, and she relaxed, her jumpy bones curving and melting comfortably.

After a few lazy heartbeats, Moonpetal felt herself drift off into sleep at last. Expecting normal dreams of chasing butterflies or rolling it catmint, Moonpetal was rather surprised at what she came across in her dream. She was standing in a moonlit field of silver flowers. The flowers were unlike anything she had ever seen, they glimmered and rippled around her, it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

Something stirred in the beautiful field and Moonpetal narrowed her eyes, catching sight of a dark figure not far away. As he turned, the moonlight caught on his gray speckled fur and she gasped as she recognized the tom in the flowers. _Birchfall!_ Her father had come to see her.

"Birchfall!" she mewed, her voice squeaking like a kit's. Birchfall didn't say anything, but his green eyes shone with fear and regret before he began to fade. With a gasp, Moonpetal raced towards him, but by the time she got to the spot he had been, there was nothing there but air and fluttering, dancing petals floating in the air.

"Hey! Moonpetal!"

Moonpetal opened her eyes to see a very blurry Starfeather looming over her. She groaned and rolled over, ready to go back to sleep. Starfeather jabbed her again, and this time the silver she-cat sat up sleepily, shaking moss from her ear. The den was nearly empty, but Dustpelt glared at her for interrupting his nap before getting up and leaving the Warriors' den.

"It's sun-high, we can't be expected to sleep the day away," Starfeather pointed out, her eyes flashing. "hurry up!"

Moonpetal watched her sister squeeze out of the den before stretching comfortably and blinking her dreams from her eyes. Her fur felt itchy and heavy and she stooped to give herself a quick wash so that she would appear acceptably fresh to her clan, and not look like a hedgehog.

A rustling in the den's entrance had her glance up from her bath, and she felt a hot wave of excitement prickle her paws as Riverstorm pushed his way into the den. He stopped when he saw her, his deep blue eyes wide and uncertain.

Puzzled, Moonpetal sat up. "Is something wrong?" she asked, shifting self-consciously. Riverstorm was staring at her like she had a beehive for a head. Without another word he turned and scrambled hurriedly out of the den.

Moonpetal shuffled her paws uncomfortably, feeling a prickle of hurt and embarrassment wash over her ears. She felt as if she had done something stupid or weird- Riverstorm wasn't usually like that. _He must not have remembered that I'm a Warrior now and thought he had stepped into the Apprentices' den._ She told herself reasonably, trying to push away the thorn of worry nagging her.

Her affection for the dark tabby caused silly feelings like self-disgust and intense embarrassment to wash up to Moonpetal's ears. She felt a stab of jealousy for Starfeather- her sister had such little patience; Moonpetal knew she could never feel this sort of loving admiration.

After a few confused heartbeats, Starfeather was back, this time looking furious. "Look, do you want to go hunting or not?" she snapped. "Quit sitting here like a dazed rabbit- I can't leave you here."

Moonpetal nearly purred in amusement at that last bit. Starfeather had never minded leaving Moonpetal to wander through the forest looking for her because she hadn't been quick enough for her sister.

"I mean," Starfeather continued. "I'd love to leave you wandering in the forest trying to find me, but I'm not allowed to leave the camp by myself. Would you like me to find someone else to hunt with, only I figured you'd feel strange hunting without me on your first day as a Warrior."

Right, the sickness. Moonpetal felt a predictable wave of guilt and pity soak her paws.

"Of course I'm coming. I was just distracted by Riverstorm," Moonpetal sniffed, getting to her paws. A knowing and mischievous glint gleamed in Starfeather's eyes and Moonpetal wished she hadn't mentioned Riverstorm. Of all of her clan mates, only Starfeather knew of her secret affection for the tabby tom.

"How're you two getting along these days?" Starfeather asked, her voice cackling with amusement. She didn't believe in love, Moonpetal remembered. Of course Starfeather would be scornfully enjoying Moonpetal's confusing feelings.

"Fine. Or at least… fine until today…." Moonpetal added, longing to confess how Riverstorm had acted to her sister.

"What? Your head get bigger when you became a warrior?" Starfeather guessed.

"Huh?" Moonpetal asked, bewildered.



"Oh, nothing, inside joke," her sister muttered, looking down. Starfeather could be very strange sometimes.

"Okay. Well, anyways, he came into the den a few moments ago and stared at me all shocked like I had two heads," Moonpetal explained. "I asked him what was wrong, but he didn't say, he just turned and got out of the den as fast as he could." The silver Warrior dropped her gaze to her paws. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"Well, yeah," Starfeather snorted, rolling her eyes. Moonpetal looked up at her, shocked that her sister could be so rude. "You're getting all anxious over _Riverstorm_! He's just a tom, for pities' sake, get over it. Now, let's go hunting." She turned and left.

For a heartbeat, irritation prickled at Moonpetal's paws like lightning, but it was covered with amusement. Her sister was right; there were more important things to worry about than how Riverstorm felt about her. She pushed her way out of the Warriors' den and followed her sister across camp.

It was a warm and sunny day, and the clan was lolling about lazily, sharing tongues or scuffling in the dirt. Firestar was perched on highledge in a predictable manner, looking down on his clan with pride and contentment glittering in his dark green eyes.

A normal clan day.

"We're running low on prey," Squirrelflight was fretting, hovering by the fresh-kill pile.

"I'm on my way to fetch some," Starfeather told her, narrowing her eyes slightly at the dark ginger warrior. Moonpetal knew she couldn't stand Firestar's daughter, for reasons she kept to herself. For a heartbeat, Moonpetal wondered if it was because Squirrelflight, while scatterbrained at times, was a loyal and well-respected clan member, while Starfeather was a bit more ordinary.

Squirrelflight's eyes widened in suspicion and worry, her ginger fur fluffing up a little. "You're not going by yourself, are you?" She inquired, her voice sharp. "You know you're not allowed out of camp by yourself. I'll go with you, if you want."

Moonpetal felt Starfeather bristle beside her in agitation and dignity. "Certainly not!" the black warrior insisted, drawing herself up. "I don't need reminding every time I need to get out of camp, thanks. Funnily enough, I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am. Come on, Moonpetal." She began to stalk, stiff-legged, to the camp entrance.

Startled, Moonpetal hurried after her, staying quiet until she felt all of Starfeather's anger slide away. By that time, they were deep in the forest, and Moonpetal didn't speak anyways, for fear of frightening off the prey.

A rustling in the bushes and a careful stalking later and Moonpetal had pounced onto a plump rabbit, killing it swiftly.



"Nice one," Starfeather sniffed disapprovingly. She was jealous, of course; Moonpetal's quiet and lean figure provided her with a natural talent for hunting, something that Starfeather lacked. However, the black warrior's hard muscles that gleamed beneath her pelt gave her the strength to fight with the power of Starclan.

Rolling her eyes, Moonpetal scraped a bit of dirt and dust over the rabbit before straightening up, aware of something… unusual. She lifted her head and breathed in the scents of the forest uncertainly.

"Yuck, Shadowclan's stench is foul today!" Starfeather exclaimed, sniffing the air as well.

"There's something else, though…" Moonpetal murmured.

"Hunters?" Starfeather guessed. With a flash, Moonpetal remembered the horrific story of how Riverclan's medicine cat apprentice had died in the paws of the twolegs who had nearly hit her with the same deadly pellet. She shivered, the tang of twolegs definitely remained strong, but that wasn't what was odd.

"I'm not sure," she murmured, padding forward.

"Oh," Starfeather hissed, her eyes flying wide as something hurled out of the trees. The cat hurled himself into Moonpetal, who leapt backwards, spitting in alarm as the stranger stopped, confused.

The shaggy gray fur was familiar, and Moonpetal recognized the cat that she had met at the previous gathering- Rainpaw. He was bleeding, though, and with a start, Moonpetal realized that was what she had smelled- blood!

There was a cut just above his eyes and blood was pouring into them, so that he blinked his eyes rapidly. He shook his head in bewilderment, looking at her closely. "Thunderclan?" he guessed, his voice hoarse.

"That's right," Starfeather growled, her fur puffed up in hostility. "Get off of our territory!"

"Starfeather," Moonpetal rebuked her softly. "he's injured!" Starfeather snorted contemptuously, but watched without comment as Moonpetal turned to Rainpaw. "What happened to you, Rainpaw?"

Rainpaw lifted his head, and a spark of defiance gleamed in his blank eyes. "Rainpaw? I'm Rain_wind_, if you don't mind! I was captured by those foxhearted twolegs and I got a little bit injured trying to escape. However, I'm not dead, so if you don't mind, I'll be getting back to my own territory now, Moonpaw."

"It's Moonpetal now," Starfeather burst out, unable to help herself. "And stay off our territory when you leave. We'll be telling Firestar about your little excursion into our territory, you can count on that!"

Rainwind stared at her levelly for a moment before trooping back to the border, Starfeather's suspicious glare on his back.

When the shaggy gray tom had disappeared in a thick tangle of ferns, Moonpetal rounded on Starfeather. "Well, that was nice of you!" she snapped.



Bewilderment widened Starfeather's eyes before contempt edged in. "Oh, right," she scoffed. "I was supposed to tend to his needs. 'Oh, do you need herbs. Can I get you some food? Do you need any more assistance?' Yeah, right- get real, Moonpetal, he's a Shadowclan warrior, we can't just be nice to him!"

"The warrior code says-"

"The warrior code," Starfeather interrupted her, green eyes flashing malevolently. "Tells us to drive off intruders. We're warriors now; we can just give into our emotions whenever we feel like it!" For a heartbeat a shadow crossed Starfeather's eyes before her glare returned.

Moonpetal stared closely into her sister's eyes. Something unreadable was troubling her, but the stubborn black cat realized she was watching her, so she turned and stalked to the border, leaving her scent along the border.

Moonpetal watched her quietly, wondering what she had seen in Starfeather's expression. Something had not been right at all. For a moment, Moonpetal's heart stopped. Could Starfeather be falling… no, it was impossible. Starfeather didn't have the room in her heart to fall in love.

Or did she? After all, the play that had been performed at the four season gathering had been a romance tale, created by the creative Starpaw. Was that a sign?

Moonpetal was rooted to the spot, shocked by her discovery, when Starfeather raced back to her side. Her eyes were wild with regret and she let out an apologetic mew.

"Oh, Moonpetal, I messed up, I'm so sorry!" she confessed, looking anguished. Her sister stared at her, bewildered.

"What?" She spluttered, bristling at Starfeather's display of emotion.

"I know why Riverstorm acted weird around you today," the black she-cat burst out. "Jaypaw and Ravenmist know you like Riverstorm. It just sort of slipped out; I didn't mean to tell them, I'd even forgotten I'd mentioned it before now! I'm sorry." Her green eyes searched Moonpetal's desperately.

Hot anger began to bubble up in Moonpetal's chest. Starfeather had _told_ them after she had trusted her most precious secret to remain hidden! "You… told…" she whispered, trying to keep the fury from entering her voice.

"Yeah, sorry," Starfeather murmured, looking sincere. She straightened, then. "So, do you forgive me? Are we okay?" she began to look relieved to get this information off her chest.

So that was it! Starfeather hadn't fallen in love- she just didn't want Moonpetal to be mad at her when the time came down to Jaypaw or Ravenmist tipping off that Starfeather had told them that she liked Riverstorm! Resentment and betrayal swarmed over Moonpetal.

"No, we're not _okay_!" she hissed angrily, lashing her tail. "I told you that and trusted you to keep your mouth shut about it, you had no right to go blabbing to whoever you felt like, Starfeather!"



Starfeather turned in surprise, her eyes wide. "Oh, come on, Moonpetal," she shrugged. "He was going to find out anyways. Or you were going to keep quiet while you watched him fall in love with somebody else, eh?"

"That's not the point. I didn't want him to find out this way-that was a despicable thing you did!" Moonpetal snarled, bristling. "I can't believe you, I won't forget this, Starfeather," she turned and raced into the growing night.

How could Starfeather do this to her? Hot and terrible embarrassment washed over her. _What does Riverstorm think about this?_ That was obvious; he had rejected her love for him and thought she was weird. Well, Moonpetal had had just about enough of Starfeather's indifference to her feelings, she wasn't going to forgive her sister for a long while yet, that was for sure!

The moon rose steadily through the night as Moonpetal charged on, not knowing where she was going exactly, but taking a bunch of turns so that she could keep running and not run out of territory to run across. She just wanted to burn off all of the hate she felt so that she could be calm when she returned to camp.

Finally, Moonpetal couldn't run any further and she collapsed, panting heavily, against an old oak tree. Moonpetal drew her tail in around her and sniffed miserably. She and Riverstorm would never ever be together now.

"Don't think negative, little one," a soft, sweet voice drifted on the wind. Moonpetal pricked her ears, unsure if she had imagined the strangely melodic voices.

"Have hope, Moonpetal!" a new voice, a kit's or young apprentice's (but still sweet and warm) called to Moonpetal.

She leapt to her paws, looking around wildly at the dark trees. "Who's there?" she called, her voice shaky. No reply came from the sweet voices, but Moonpetal could feel a warm wind tugging at her fur, and a sweet sweet scent on the air that drew her forward.

Almost against her will, Moonpetal followed the scent in a daze, trusting the sweet voices to guide her somewhere special where she could be alone. Before long, Moonpetal became aware of a dull murmuring of many voice. Curious, the silver tabby squeezed through a tangle of bracken and stared in amazement.

Just like from her dream, dozens of silvery flowers stretched before her in an amazing field of glory. This was much better than it had been in her dream, however, for Moonpetal knew this was real, and the flowers glimmered almost paranormally.

"Great Starclan," Moonpetal breathed, watching as the flowers moved and murmured.

Wait.

What?



Moonpetal inspected the flowers closely. Cold dread began to creep down her spine as she saw the flowers twitching and swaying in the windless night. The murmurs grew louder, so that the voices were deafening in Moonpetal's ringing ears.

_The flowers were speaking to her._

**A/N wee, and so she has seen the 'moonlit fower's. this is where my plot line can finally begin to take off. Yay! Thank you wonderful readers for reading and wonderful Emily for editing. Thank Emily, people, because she makes this crap happen!! **

**Songs of Inspiration: The Messenjah by P.O.D.**

**Tidalwave by Longwave**

**Put Your Hands on Me by Vanessa Carlton**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N I'm back

**A/N I'm back!!**

When Moonpetal returned to camp the next morning, her eyes were wide and staring. What she had witnessed just that night couldn't be put to words. The flowers had soothed her, comforting her and telling her just the words she needed to hear. Before Moonpetal knew what she was doing, she had promised to come back the next night.

As the silver warrior slipped back into camp, she was jolted back to reality when she heard her sister's voice carrying on the breeze. It was loud and shrill, which meant that she was furious, not that this was anything new. Sighing in resignation, Moonpetal located her sister across the clearing by Firestar's den.

"Look," she was hissing. "Don't be so stupid. Why can't you see what I'm trying to tell you? You're an idiot!"

As Moonpetal stepped up to where her sister was fighting, her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Rainstorm's dark tabby pelt. He turned his deep blue eyes on her, and she felt chilled by the wary look that haunted their depths. Before she could remember how to breathe, Riverstorm had turned back to Starfeather. "I'm not an idiot, mouse brain. What do you honestly expect me to do?"

Starfeather let out a snarl between grit teeth of pure impatience. "What you're obviously not doing. Don't you know anything?"

Moonpetal's fur heated up feverishly. She had a sickeningly agonizing feeling that they were discussing her, and right in her face as if she weren't there. Completely humiliated, Moonpetal fixed her green eyes on her paws, which were trembling with embarrassment.

"I don't know anything about this. Instead of yapping on like a squirrel about how stupid I am, tell me how to address this… situation!" Riverstorm retorted.

"Stupid tom!" Starfeather snorted. She padded forward until her nose was almost touching Riverstorm's and glared up into his eyes.

"You talk to each other! Honestly, you're so caught up in your own tail that you can't see past the whiskers on your muzzle, can you? Why are you so insensitive? You're head is so huge it's a wonder you can keep it up straight!" Starfeather's words were dripping with hatred, and Moonpetal felt chilled by the quiet menace in her sister's tone. Riverstorm, however, wasn't impressed.

"And what about you?" he snapped back. Moonpetal shifted uncomfortably as cats began drifting out of their dens to watch the two warriors fight. "You want to be so grown up, but you drive such a wedge between yourself and your clanmates that everybody hates you. Do you ever think you can even hope to be the respected warrior you want to be? You're so arrogant, you'll never be anybody!"

Silence met his words, and Moonpetal knew he had crossed a line with Starfeather. Her sister was moody and uptight, but even she could get offended. However, she felt that if she could see Starfeather's eyes, they would be swimming with rage.

"What's going on out here?" Firestar called, appearing too late from his den over Highledge. Starfeather seemed to gather herself.

"Stay away from me," she growled to Moonpetal as she turned and shouldered her way through the crowd to the edge of camp. She ducked her head almost immediately, but not before Moonpetal saw the unmistakable and shocking pools of pain and hurt in her sister's eyes.

Moonpetal felt fur brush hers and she turned to see her mother, Whitewing, staring after her daughter with despair in her wide blue eyes. She felt a wave of pity for her mother. Her mate had died, and her only two kits didn't fit in very well with the clan. Moonpetal could get along well enough if she would talk more, but Starfeather was naturally the boss, and if she wasn't the boss, it irked her. Despite the hurtful way he had put it, there had been a lot of truth in Riverstorm's words.

Ravenmist followed Starfeather out of the camp, and Moonpetal knew she would comfort her sister while the silver queen would have a talk with Riverstorm. Even though a talk was desperately needed, all Moonpetal wanted to do was curl up next to her mother and sleep for a good moon.

Sighing in arrest, Moonpetal waited until the crowd had died away before turning to Riverstorm. His blue eyes were clouded with confusion and wariness. Moonpetal had a feeling that if she suggested they both sleep a bit before talking that he would agree in a heartbeat, but she wanted to end this now.

"Listen," she began, but Riverstorm cut across her.

"Moonpetal, Jaypaw told me that you… have feelings for me. Is this true?" his voice was guarded, and Moonpetal was shocked by the almost coldness in it.

"Yes," she admitted in a tiny voice, wishing she could shrink to the size of a flea.

"I see," Riverstorm murmured. "Moonpetal, I have a favor to ask of you."

Moonpetal looked up, surprised, hardly daring to breathe. A prickle of uncertainty was knawing at her belly, but she pushed away her fear and nodded.

"Please let go of your affection for me. We… aren't right together. You know this," he mewed in a gentler tone. Still, each of his words pricked her skin like nettle.

And yet, Moonpetal felt strangely relieved. She couldn't identify why, but a part of her was glad he didn't have feelings for her. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She nodded again. "I'm sorry to have put you in such an uncomfortable situation, and I'm sorry it caused another argument between my sister and you."

"I didn't… upset her too much, did I?" the desperation in the dark tabby's voice made Moonpetal look up, startled. Riverstorm had dropped his formal demeanor and looked uncertain and regretful. Could he be… in love with….

"You may have crossed a line or two, but I think she might get over it," Moonpetal admitted, feeling a twinge of jealousy. Riverstorm really was sweet, he always had qualms about hurting others, yet she knew that he wouldn't have as much of a dramatic worry for her as he did for Starfeather. "Do you love her?" she blurted out, and wished she could sink into the ground. How could she have just said that?

Alarmed, Moonpetal's eyes widened, but she waited for an answer all the same. Doubt flickered in Riverstorm's eyes and he looked away. After a long moment he turned back to her, his eyes swelling with an emotion she could hardly bear to see.

"I-" but he was cut across by a shrill wail of grief from somewhere in the forest. Moonpetal whipped around, her blood running ice cold.

The wail belonged unmistakably to Starfeather.

XXXXX

Starfeather stormed through the undergrowth, trying not to let her emotions overcome her. Did the clan really hate her? Fear welled in her heart, threatening to flood her, but she took an unsteady breath and held herself at bay.

"Starfeather!" It was Ravenmist.

"Don't follow me," Starfeather hissed, her eyes flashing back at the dark gray warrior, whose amber eyes were soft and as cool as honey to a raw throat.

"You can't fool me, Starfeather. The clan doesn't hate you, Riverstorm just spits out words sometimes. He didn't mean any of it, please come back!" Ravenmist called out in a rush, sounding tired.

"I want to be alone," Starfeather growled without stopping.

"Too bad," Ravenmist's words shocked her for a moment, but then Starfeather broke into a run. To her dismay, her friend followed.

"Go away!" Starfeather insisted wildly, her heart thumping in her chest. She didn't want any of her friends to see her like this- an emotional wreck.

"Stop, Starfeather!" Ravenmist cried, but Starfeather hardly heard her. "You're heading for those twolegs with the weapons!"

But Starfeather didn't care. All she knew was she suddenly had to be alone. She crossed the Thunderpath that the twolegs had built up with ease and carried on determinedly. A screech of something dreadful made her skid to a stop and turn in time to see what happened.

Ravenmist was charging across the Thunderpath, her eyes fixed on Starfeather. She must not have seen the monster hurtling towards her. "No!" Starfeather gasped, her eyes huge.

Ravenmist turned her head and saw the monster. She moved faster, and it seemed that she would make it for a tantalizing heartbeat. She was going to make it, Starfeather told herself. She had to make it across. The monster screeched nearer….

For a moment later, silence ensued, but then Starfeather threw back her head and wailed for all of the heavens to hear.

**A/N I apologies for the hastiness of this chapter, but review anyways PLEASE! I BEG OF THEE!**


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